Author: staff
By Laura Fleischmann Published on 12/02/2026 – 12:27 GMT+1•Updated 13:31 Lufthansa cancelled hundreds of flights across Germany on Thursday as pilots and cabin crew staged a coordinated 24-hour strike in disputes over pensions and job security. The walkout began at 12:01 am and runs until 11:59 pm, affecting all departures from German airports including major hubs in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin. The strike involves approximately 4,800 pilots represented by Vereinigung Cockpit union and around 20,000 cabin crew members organised by the Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organisation, who are conducting parallel actions over separate disputes. Lufthansa did not specify how many flights would be…
In September 2016, for their first gathering after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, leaders headed to the dramatic hilltop castle of Bratislava overlooking the Danube. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the European Council met in December 2001 at Château de Laeken, the official residence of the Belgian royal family. The secluded location offered the security required for sensitive discussions on terrorism. Going back further still, in December 1991 the European Council summit that paved the way for the Maastricht Treaty took place at the Provinciehuis Limburg — not a castle. However, a side event took leaders to the nearby…
Published on 12/02/2026 – 12:33 GMT+1•Updated 12:49 Hungary’s opposition leader Péter Magyar has accused Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party of preparing a blackmail campaign against him involving a secretly recorded sex tape, escalating tensions ahead of April’s parliamentary elections. Magyar, whose Tisza party leads Fidesz in opinion polls, said he suspects the governing party plans to release intimate recordings made with surveillance equipment. “I suspect they are planning to release a recording, recorded with secret service equipment and possibly faked, in which my then-girlfriend and I are seen having intimate intercourse,” Magyar wrote on social media. He said…
By Euronews Published on 12/02/2026 – 12:42 GMT+1 A lorry driver died after a tree branch fell on his vehicle near Dax in south-west France as Storm Nils battered the country with winds exceeding 160 kilometres per hour, authorities said on Thursday. The driver was killed overnight on the D824 road at Mées near Dax in the Landes department, according to local media reports. More than 850,000 homes were without electricity on Thursday morning, with most outages concentrated in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie, according to grid operator Enedis. The company deployed more than 400 workers to restore power. Wind gusts reached 162…
By Sonja Issel Published on 12/02/2026 – 11:30 GMT+1 A film festival without a touch of Hollywood? For the Berlinale organisers that is out of the question. So, once again they’re expecting to deliver a generous dose of glamour from across the Atlantic this year and the who’s who list is certainly very impressive. Among those likely in Berlin is Channing Tatum. Having made his name in action, comedy and dance roles, this time he is showing a much more serious side in Josephine, a drama about violence and the brutality of the world. Also confirmed are Neil Patrick Harris, best…
The move against WhatsApp follows reports of renewed difficulties with Telegram, the most popular messaging platform in Russia, after media watchdog Roskomnadzor announced new restrictions against the company earlier this week. Roskomnadzor last year accused Telegram and WhatsApp of violating Russian law by facilitating terrorists and scammers. Following its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia banned as “extremist” Facebook and Instagram, which also are owned by Meta. In a post earlier this week, Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused the Russian authorities of trying to “force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political…
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified before his first run at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced. The IOC banned Heraskevych from using his custom-made helmet, which features portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia’s full-scale invasion since early 2022. The helmet does not display any slogans or political symbols. The IOC made a statement regarding Heraskevych’s disqualification, saying “despite multiple exchanges and in-person meetings between the IOC and Mr Heraskevych,” it was the Ukrainian athlete who “did not consider any form of compromise”. “The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to…
Published on 12/02/2026 – 11:19 GMT+1 There’s a chaotic energy emanating from this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan. In less than a week since the start of the Milan Cortina Games, several scandals have eclipsed the sport – like environment protests; ski jumpers allegedly resorting to penis injections of hyaluronic acid so they can achieve long jumps (dodgy dick doping, if you will); Czech ice dancers Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek skating to an AI-generated track; French biathlete Julia Simon winning a medal three months after being convicted of stealing her teammate’s credit card; and reports that this year’s gold…
The legal opinion by Advocate-General Tamara Ćapeta — to annul the Commission’s decision to unfreeze the funds — will guide the judges on their final ruling, which will be delivered in a few months. Advocates-general are not judges but legal advisers who help the court in complicated or unprecedented cases. René Repasi, a German MEP and EU law professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Geneva, said an annulment would mean the Commission should “request the money back.” “If Hungary does not pay back, the Commission can lower other disbursements, which Hungary is entitled to receive, by the…
A humanoid robot named Roby walked through Sarajevo’s Old Town Bascarsija on Wednesday, marking the first public presentation of humanoid robotics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Developed by Vandri Robotics, the machine moved among shopfronts and market stalls, drawing curious residents. The event aimed to show how robots could operate in public and commercial spaces while respecting the city’s historic setting. Vandri Robotics says Roby is built for tourism, education and public services. The focus, developers said, is on natural communication and cooperation with people, not replacement. The Sarajevo launch begins a national tour that will next head to Banja Luka,…